Funding the federal government

Will December 11 mark another déjà vu moment for Congress? This looming deadline is the day by which Congress must once again fund the federal government for the upcoming fiscal year.

As in past years, Congress has failed to follow its own internal process (known as “regular order”). The House has so far passed only 6 of 12 bills necessary to fund the government, while the Senate has passed only one. So, we will likely be forced to have an up-or-down vote in December on a “kitchen sink” funding bill that crams everything into one.